Dawn's Early Light

By: Tee Morris, Pip Ballantine

Narrated by: James Langton

Length: 12 hrs and 49 mins

Publisher's Summary

After being ignominiously shipped out of England following their participation in the Janus affair, Braun and Books are ready to prove their worth as agents. But what starts as a simple mission in the States - intended to keep them out of trouble - suddenly turns into a scandalous and convoluted case that has connections reaching as far as Her Majesty the Queen. Even with the help of two American agents from the Office of the Supernatural and the Metaphysical, Braun and Books have their work cut out for them as their chief suspect in a rash of nautical and aerial disasters is none other than Thomas Edison. Between the fantastic electric machines of Edison, the eccentricities of MoPO consultant Nikola Tesla, and the mysterious machinations of a new threat known only as the Maestro, they may find themselves in far worse danger than they ever have been in before.

©2014 Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris (P)2014 Tantor

Return of the Most Dangerous Duo in Steampunk!

I described the first book as the X-Files meets James Bond, Steampunk style. The sequel surprised me in that it kept up the pace and really expanded on the world and the characters, cementing this series' place as one of my favorites, and certainly my favorite Steampunk series to date.

This third book... a little less X-Files, a lot more 007 - Roger Moore era, to be exact - and it's a glorious ride! As Books and Braun make their way to the rough and tumble United States, they join forces with their American counterparts to take on their scariest assignment yet. Someone has seemingly built Tesla's theoretical death ray, causing the destruction of dozens of ships in recent days. Our heroes have to fight the bad guys, the supergenius who's using them to his own aims, and each other, which forces the obligatory use of plenty of ammunition and explosives. Morris and Ballantine have knocked another one out of the park. It's impossible not to have fun with this series. I'm chomping at the bit for the 4th book, due out next year.

Langton's voice performance is a bit - ok, a lot - cartoonish for the women, but once you get used to it, it works for the Roger Moore / Wild Wild West tone of the story. There are a couple of points where I noticed he'd use the wrong voice here and there, but given the seat-of-the-pants nature of the story and the number of characters he's juggling in certain scenes, I have to say I'm deeply impressed on the whole. There are some narrators that might not try that hard, and others that maybe wouldn't convey the sense of dramatic comedy this book carries. Besides, he narrated the first two, so it just wouldn't be the same without him.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

DISSAPOINTED

What would have made Dawn's Early Light better?

A better story. Other than nailing the genre of 'steampunk', there was nothing that grabbed me in the first 2h of listening.

What could Tee Morris and Pip Ballantine have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

The tension in the opening sequence didn't feel tense for me. Bad guys missed their gun shots at point blank range but somehow jumped off of a moving zeppelin onto another aircraft, mid-air. I never once felt like the characters (good or bad) were in danger.

Which character – as performed by James Langton – was your favorite?

Any of them. He does great accents.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

The reader was great. I'd listen to something else read by him for sure. As for the book itself... I couldn't finish it, so it's hard to say.

Any additional comments?

I really liked the first two books in this series, and I'm not sure what went missing in between the last book and this one. I highly recommend the previous two novels.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Ends with a bang!

This story started out in the usual way of a Books and Braun novel with the two of them starting an assignment. This time it was in America. Although I thought there was too much of Welly's car in the story, the interactions with America - dressed up a lot like the wild west with steampunk, was really good. All the way through it was as quality as any other of the Ministry novels but I think they really outdid themselves at the end. I won't give away any details except to say that you actually meet the Maestro and boy won't you be surprised. - Or maybe not, but I sure was.

So my suggestion on this one is : Yes Read It !! . . Read them in order for the best effect. You can read this one as a single, but you'll be missing parts of the story that help fill things out.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Not as Good as Previous Books.

What did you like best about Dawn's Early Light? What did you like least?

The characters of Books and Braun are always the highlight of these novels. The authors have created two very interesting, fully developed characters. The problem is, not even the redoubtable Books and Braun could save what was a meandering story that, at times, really dragged on.

Would you be willing to try another book from Tee Morris and Pip Ballantine ? Why or why not?

This may not have been my favorite of the series, but I will definitely return for the next one.

Which character – as performed by James Langton – was your favorite?

The main characters are, of course, my favorites. Langston's performance manages to make then two distinctive people.

Any additional comments?

A good story, but not as good as the previous two.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Even better than the first two!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would hand this to any young adult or adult who likes fiction--especially if they're into steampunk. It's well written, with a fast moving plot and a cast of vivid, fascinating characters.

What did you like best about this story?

I couldn't decide which characters I liked best--they were all incredible and I wanted to get to know them each personally. We get more and deeper insights into the series story arc as well, which is awesome. And, of course, the romantic byplay is highly entertaining. And, of course, seeing the fight between Edison and Tesla in a new context is awesome if you're at all familiar with their real life story. The descriptive quality of the narrative is also worth mentioning--the world is brilliant and alive, but holds also some of the creeping edginess of good horror, with a sort of sepia overtone as the result of its setting in time. REALLY good narrative flavor.

Have you listened to any of James Langton’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I love Langton's narration of these books! I think I've only heard him do this series, but he does an excellent job with the various accents involved--especially when it comes to a character with their own strong native accent attempting to mimic someone else's! Very nice. Of course, I always want to hear Pip's voice doing Eliza and Tee's doing Wellington. But Mr. Lanton does both of their voices well enough that I am not jarred and can almost hear the voices as I've come to know them through the authors.

Any additional comments?

The Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences has been described as "Steampunk X-Files". If you're at all familiar with these two things, then you have grasped the flavor of these books. But don't just read them for that delightful combination--read them for the elegance of the narrative, and the complexity of the characters. Make sure you let go of any technological expectations ahead of time--the prevalence of tech in this book threw me a bit until I decided to just go with it. And it ends with a heck of a plot tease! But when it comes to dynamic duos, Books and Braun are at the top of my list, and I can't WAIT to hear more of their story. And actually, I want to read absolutely everything ever written by Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris, because they are just that awesome.

2 of 3 people found this review helpful

Very Entertaining!

A true 'Odd Couple ' ! Cool story, great narriration. The tweaks to "historical facts" are certainly within the realm of believability. I normally stay within the fantasy genre, but glad I ventured out a tad. See? They even have me using their brand of slang... Very cool! Check these stories out, you won't be disappointed 'Old Chap!'

Another entertaining steampunk adventure!!

This is the third book in the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences series and was another highly entertaining book in that series. I didn't like it quite as much as the last book but it was still very enjoyable.

This book is set in America and Braun and Books are spending time with their American cohorts trying to track down Edison and his Death Ray. I didn't really enjoy their American counterparts as much and wished that Braun and Books had spent more time on the case together rather than separate.

I also think that I didn't enjoy the setting in America as much as the London based setting of the previous books. However, it sounds like we are returning to London in future books.

I did enjoy how some of the story around the Maestro and the House of Usher was moved progressed. I also liked how we learned more about Books background and past. The story is action-packed and very fun to read. It's highly entertaining and engaging and I enjoyed it a lot.

Overall I have really been enjoying this series I would recommend to those who enjoy steampunk adventures. There are lots of fun devices and airships galore in this book. The characters are spunky and interesting. I will definitely be continuing on with the series.

Read this steampunk adventure!

Found this on an , "if you like Gail Carriger" list and wasn't disappointed! Great book, Great audio.

Victorians in the Wild West

Any additional comments?

This adventure features agents, Books and Braun taking their newly formed partnership to the US. Tensions flare between the two as the attentions of their American counterparts lead to jealousy and confusion. Also look out for the James Bond style car in this action packed installment.

Great Steampunk; a little too romantic.

I really enjoy this series. This book in particular was a little too sappy for my taste, but it was good in overall sorry telling.